A Letter From My Brother
by ditzie-blonde
Summary: SPOILER FOR 502. Set after The Thousand Year Blood War. What happens when Rukia returns home and starts going though Byakuya's possessions? My little homage to Byakuya, Hisana and Rukia.


_Having been shocked by the end of 502 this idea popped into my head at work today and I just had to write it down. _

_I have to admit that I've only started watching the Bleach anime series in the past few months and I've started reading the new arc on manga so apologies if I haven't quite got all the terminology/phrases correct. This is only my second fanfic and my first one shot, so please bare that in mind when you are reading! _

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Bleach (well unless you count the stuff I clean my toilet with!)_

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Rukia Kuchiki walked slowly along the corridors of the Kuchiki manor, her head throbbing, her eyes burning and her feet barely leaving the floor as she moved towards her destination. She was beyond exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to fall onto her futon and sleep for a month - how long had it been since she had slept in her own futon? - but there was one task left that she had to complete before she could and she would not be able to rest until it was done.

Centuries had passed since she had last been at the manor. Dust sheets had been placed on the furniture in an attempt to protect the heirlooms from the harshness of war and the place now smelt musty. The staff had long since fled in an effort to protect themselves and the silence was almost deafening. More blood had been shed in those years than she ever thought possible, secrets had been revealed, powers gained, comrades and good friends lost. Soul Society would never be the same again.

But yesterday everything had changed. The Quincy King had been killed and the last remaining Quincy's had been captured and imprisoned forever more. It was a bittersweet victory, but a victory none the less. Byakuya would have been proud. Would being the operative word.

She had lost her brother on the first day of the war, his bankai being one of the first to be stolen by the Quincy's and he himself being the first captain to fall. That day had been the first time ever that she had sensed her brother had been in trouble, but she had been unable to get there in time to help him as she herself had been attacked and knocked unconscious by a Qunicy. Renji had told her that Byakuya knew what he was doing that day, that he knew he was sacrificing himself for the good of the Soul Society. After losing his bankai he had told Renji to observe the fight so that his Lieutenant could watch and try to gain the upper hand over the Quincy - a strong, proud, honourable, captain until the end. It was for the best that she had not witnessed his final battle Renji had said. Byakuya had not gone down without a fight and it had been bloody, in the end his own body and soul where no match for Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Renji assured her he had died with his pride intact and that small fact gave her some comfort.

Reaching her final destination within the enormous manor she paused and rested her head and hands on the dusty shoji door that stood before her. The shoji door to her brother's private quarters. Taking a deep breath she slowly slid the door aside and entered his private office, her heart constricting slightly as she realised that despite the dust and the stale air, the room still smelt like him. Tears burned her eyes but she would not cry.

Slowly she removed the dust sheet from what she knew to be his desk and sat down behind it in his private study, a place that until now had always filled her with fear as this is where he had often reprimanded her, but now she just felt sad nostalgia. With the stench of death still pungent in the air, she would have done anything to have a family member by her side right now, even if it was her stoic, cold, adopted brother who couldn't stand to look at her. The fuse on Byakuya's funeral pyre had barely been lit before the great Kuchiki Noble House had gone into hiding, the fact that their revered leader had been killed had thrown them into turmoil and they had decided it was best to hide themselves away for the duration of the war - she was the only Kuchiki to have remained and she had fought through the entire war. She doubted news had reached the others yet that the war had ended and she knew that once it did it would only be a matter of time before the Elders returned and a new war commenced - the battle to be the new Head of the Kuchiki clan.

Vaguely she wondered what would happen to her - the Elders had always frowned upon her adoption into the clan - but as Lieutenant of Squad 13 she knew that she would be ok. If she was dispelled from the clan then she would still have a roof over her head as she had her own quarter's at the Squad 13 barracks and an income to support herself. During the war she had obtained bankai and she was reasonable confident that if she were to take the Captain's Examination she would be awarded one of the now empty Captain's positions. Yes, she would be ok if she was dispelled from the Kuchiki's.

Taking a deep breath she surveyed the room and was thankful that despite her brother's wealth, he actually had very few personal possessions for her to pack up. Apart from his wardrobe of clothes and ceremonial jewellery, the only things her brother really owned were some books on the recent history of Soul Society, which she would have the staff more to the Kuchiki grand library as soon as they returned, his calligraphy brushes and the shrine to his wife, her sister. She thought she would leave Hisana's shrine where it was and arrange for her brother's to be set up next to his wife's, after all he had devoted his life to her so it seemed only fitting that he should be next to her for eternity. His Squad 6 Captain's office had been much the same way when Renji and she had cleared it out many centuries ago, but that had been done in a hurry, the necessities of war not leaving time for reminiscing or grieving.

Knowing that her exhausted body would not last much longer, she moved her hand down to the drawer on her right and opened it carefully retrieving the papers it contained. Flicking through the leafs of paper quickly she realised that most of the papers seemed to relate to the Kuchiki family businesses and she returned them to the draw, one of her so called relatives could deal with them when they returned. Next she opened the draw to her left and discovered it contained several cheque books and a sheet of paper with a long number on it. Baffled by the long number she racked her brain for what it could be, but her exhausted, war-weary brain was in no fit state to think. Sluggishly she moved to stand up, wincing and stiffening instinctively as the floorboard beneath her creaked. Several seconds passed and it was then she was realised that her brother would not be coming to reprimand her for being in his study. He was gone and had probably been to the Living World and was back again by now, not that he would remember any of his time as Captain of Squad 6 and leader of the Kuchiki clan.

However, the creaking floorboard had made her think and she carefully knelt down on her bruised and battered knees - how long had it been since she had not been covered in bruises? - and removed the tatami mat that lay behind Byakuya's desk. Slowly she ran her hands along the floorboards and was surprised to find there appeared to be a small square that had been cut out of the floor. She became clawing and pushing at the section of floor and was shocked when after several pushes and pulls it popped open into her hands. Beneath the removable floor was a combination lock and a handle and her heart leapt into her throat as she realised the number of digits on the lock corresponded with those on the piece of paper she had found in the desk drawer. Was this a safe?

Quickly she shuffled to the desk drawer on her knees and retrieved the piece of paper before hurrying back and twisting the numbers into the correct sequence. The cogs were stiff from having not been used for so long and it took her several minutes, but eventually the lid lifted and Rukia's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. This was where Byakuya kept everything that was important to him.

Inside she could see a man and a woman's wedding rings, a small diamond engagement ring, numerous cards and letters, what appeared to be a journal, a delicate looking hair clip, some dried blossom petals, a sweet wrapper, a half empty bottle of perfume, a small plush toy and a bracelet that appeared to woven out of both cheap and expense thread in the Kuchiki family colours.

Suddenly she felt like she was trespassing, after all, this was her brother's most private safe in his private study and she wanted nothing more than to close the safe and run away. However, just as she was about to slam the lid shut and replace the flooring she realised that some of those items would surely have been her sister's, most of them were extremely feminine after all, and therefore didn't that give her a right to them? If one of the other Kuchiki's were to discover this safe then they would surely discard of the items without a second thought. Curiosity got the better of her and she delicately removed the items from the safe and lined them up on the now discarded tatami mat. It was only as she picked up the final item from the safe - an envelope - that she gasped.

There in Byakuya's neat calligraphy was her name on the front of the envelope.

Confusion overcame her. What was a letter for her doing in Byakuya's private safe? Was the letter really for her? Why was it written in his handwriting? She racked her brain as she tried to think of another Rukia, anyone who had a name similar to her, but she couldn't think of anyone. Her hands shook as she realised that maybe the contents of the envelop were really destined for herself and she carefully turned it over and using the letter opener from Byakuya's desk, opened the envelope and retrieve the letter the envelope contained.

_Dear Rukia, _

_If you are reading this letter then it must be because I have passed. I hope it is you that has found this letter in my private safe as most of the items the safe contains now belong to you, for they were Hisana's first._

_It is most strange writing a letter knowing that when you read it I will be dead. I had hoped that given time I would be able to give you these items in person and explain why each of them were important to Hisana and myself, but time has not proved a great healer on my part I am afraid. As you are aware I am unable to look at you directly, but this is not out of loathing or hatred for you, but out of weakness and cowardice on my part as you look so much like my beloved Hisana that every time I see you the pain is too immense. Please forgive me for this as I know it must have been hard to have a brother who did not look at his sibling. _

_Now I will start by explaining the significance of each item this safe contains, because as I said before they are now yours: _

_The wedding rings - these are mine and Hisana's wedding rings and they signify the love that we shared for each other. The only thing that Hisana wanted from me was love and in this aristocratic world, finding true love is hard. I hope you find true love one day Rukia and that these rings bring you as much happiness as they brought Hisana and I. My only wish is that your love and happiness lasts longer than mine and Hisana's. Be strong Rukia and do not let the clan force you into a marriage that is for the good of the Kuchiki's. You are too good and strong and pure for that. _

_The Engagement Ring - Hisana's and I's love was scandalous as you can imagine and we dated many months in secret before I could convince my grandfather that Hisana and I could court. The times we could arrange our sacred secret meetings were scarce but each time I made a promise to Hisana that I loved her and we would be together for the rest of eternity, but Hisana found this hard to believe. Hope and dreams were not something that Hisana believed in easily, her main hope and dream was to find you, but I wanted her to know that one day I would indeed marry her. _

_It was on my first mission to the Living World that I heard of an engagement ring and I knew immediately that this was what I needed to give Hisana to show her my love. Recklessly I had one made for her upon returning to Soul Society, not thinking of the consequences for her of having such a precious jewel in Inuzuri, but she kept that ring safe until the day she could come to the manor and we could officially court._

_Cards and letters - these are the cards and letter that Hisana sent to me. They will show you exactly the type of person your sister was in a much better way than I could ever have explained . You will see why you should be proud that she was your sister. Her soul was kind, generous, caring and loving and in so many ways you and Hisana are alike, Rukia. Never lose that part of yourself. _

_Hair clip - this is the first hair clip I removed from Hisana's hair the day we were married. The day my life changed irrevocably for the better, if only for 5 short years. _

_The journal - this is Hisana's private journal that I discovered not long after she passed. I have never read it out of respect for my wife, but I feel that she would want you to have it so that you can see how long and hard she looked for you, because believe me sister, she devoted her life to you. _

_Dried blossom petals - these were from our first date, a simple picnic in the barracks of Squad 13. I was lucky that Captain Ukitake was my superior and let Hisana and I use his private gardens early on in our clandestine relationship. He was one of our greatest supporters and without him our love would not have grown as quickly as it did. That afternoon is one of my fondest memories, it was the day I fell in love. _

_The sweet wrapper - Hisana was a lover of sweets and these were her favourite. I found this wrapper whilst clearing up her rooms in the manor after she had passed and I have never been able to part with it. It is a reminder of happier time. _

_The perfume - Quite simply, this is your sister's fragrance_

_The plush toy - Hisana found this one day not long after she had moved into the manor. Trying to familiarise herself with the manor she had started wondering around and had gotten lost finding herself in the storage area with all of the Kuchiki baby toys. It took several hours for me to find her, during which she had taken it upon herself to route through the numerous boxes of toys. When she discovered that this toy had been brought specifically for me she insisted in having it in her quarters with her. She said it reminded her of me when I was not around and even after we were married she would insist on sleeping with it by her side whenever I could not return to the manor at night. We hoped one day to pass it onto our own child but unfortunately that was not in the cards for Hisana and I. _

_The bracelet - This was Hisana's wedding present to me. It symbolises our backgrounds and the fact that we are woven together for the circle of eternity. I wore it everyday until she passed and that bond was cruelly broken. _

_I am well aware that I am known (or should I say was known given that you are reading this letter after my death?) for being stoic and heartless, that upholding the law must take precedence over everything else - you yourself having been a victim of that - but I hope this letter and these items give you an insight into your sister and the man I was for only a short period of time. _

_Not once have I ever regretted the decision to have you adopted into the Kuchiki clan, Rukia. You have worked hard and upheld the Kuchiki honour in every way possible. Even during your almost execution you handled yourself with dignity and poise and that is most admirable, you almost sacrificed yourself on more than one occasion in order to protect others and that is truly the mark of Kuchiki. _

_I am writing this letter on the day after your promotion ceremony as Lieutenant of Squad 13 and I can only say how proud I am of your achievements. My only regret is that I did not let you take your rightful place sooner, as it was me that persuaded the 13 Court Guard Squad Captains that you were not ready to be a Lieutenant. You have done well Rukia and you have enough talent to become a Captain if you so desire. _

_Looking back your adoption into the Kuchiki family could not have been easy for you. You were forced to graduate from the Spiritual Arts Academy early and were placed in a squad with ease. I am aware of the snide remarks that other members of the clan make about you and the stigma and challenges you must have faced as an inexperienced and uneducated soul reaper and those challenges must have seemed insurmountable at times, but you rose to the occasion and proved yourself time and time again. Be proud of yourself Rukia, you uphold the Kuchiki name and have more than earned the right to call yourself a Kuchiki. _

_Reading this letter has taken enough of your time Rukia, now go and live your life to its fullest as it can be destroyed in moments. This letter and the contents of the safe are a proof of that. _

_Your proud brother always, _

_Byakuya. _

Rukia sat in stunned silence as she read the contents of her brother's letter, her battle to not cry complete lost as tears rolled down her cheeks. He had been _proud_ of her? He had cared enough about her to give her Hisana's things? In death he had opened up to her and explained about his love for Hisana, he was not the cold hearted person that everyone, including herself, thought he was. She had lived with Byakuya for over a hundred years before he had passed and not once had they talked about Hisana, but now she owned all that he held dear to him that Hisana had given him. It was too much for her to take in after centuries of fighting.

There was one line of his letter than stood out to her though _"Live life to its fullest". _ He was right, if this war had taught them nothing it was that life was precious and could be taken away in an instant. It was in that moment she realised that she didn't want to be on her own anymore, she wanted what Byakuya and Hisana had.

Without further ado she jumped to her feet, ignoring the creaking in her bones and wiping the tears from her eyes, as she set her resolve. Today would be the day she told the man she loved that she loved him...

* * *

_So I couldn't figure out who I wanted Rukia to go and declare her love to so I've left it to your imagination! I'm a big Ichigo/Rukia fan, but have recently started to warm to Rukia/Renji so I just couldn't figure out which one I wanted her to go to! _

_This idea is kind of based on real life as my friend's husband received a letter from his brother who had been killed in action in Afghanistan. His brother had to write a letter before he went into service in the event that he was killed and there was a lot of emotion in it as he figured his brother would never read it, unfortunately he did. I figured that Byakuya might be "warmer" on paper than in person as he probably thought that Rukia would never get to read the letter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. _


End file.
